Dr. Mac’s Minute: Thanksgiving for God’s Grace Giving
Passage: Philippians 4:5-9
Focus: ““Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 4:6-7
Paul is not diminishing or denying the things that bring us anxiety or fear, in these verses. To the contrary, we must acknowledge them in order to follow his command. The word “prayer“ means to earnestly seek God. It can even refer to a place set aside where God is sought. Supplication is a “heart felt petition arising out of deep personal need or indigence.” And at the core of the Greek word “thanksgiving” (eucharistias) is the word grace (charis). Thanksgiving means gratitude for God’s grace.
So . . . when anxiety pops up (and it will), we are invited (actually, commanded!) to go to that private place where we can earnestly seek the Father with our deepest need of that moment, in order to find the grace our heart and soul desperately needs; thanking Him even as we plead because we know He is ready to bring a peace that goes beyond anything we can possibly comprehend (Eph. 3:20); one that protects our heart and mind.
Further encouragement from Isaiah, David, and Paul:
“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.”—Isaiah 26:3-4
“Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him and He will do it.”—Psalm 37:4-5
“Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”—Ephesians 3:20-21